tie
pronunciation
How to pronounce tie in British English:
UK [taɪ]
How to pronounce tie in American English:
US [ taɪ]
-
- Noun:
- neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
- a social or business relationship
- the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided
- a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating
- a fastener that serves to join or link
- equality of score in a contest
- (music) a slur over two notes of the same pitch; indicates that the note is to be sustained for their combined time value
- one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track
- a cord (or string or ribbon or wire etc.) with which something is tied
-
- Verb:
- fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
- finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.
- limit or restrict to
- connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
- form a knot or bow in
- create social or emotional ties
- perform a marriage ceremony
- make by tying pieces together
- unite musical notes by a tie
Word Origin
- tie
- tie: [OE] Tie comes from a prehistoric Germanic *taugian. This was derived from the base *taukh-, *teuk- ‘pull’ (source also of English team and tug and closely related to tow). And this in turn went back to Indo-European *deuk-, which also produced Latin dūcere ‘lead’ (source of English duct, duke, etc). The use of the noun tie for a ‘necktie’ dates from the mid 18th century.=> duct, duke, educate, team, teem, tow, tug
- tie (n.)
- Old English teag, "cord, band, thong, fetter," literally "that with which anything is tied," from Proto-Germanic *taugo (cognates: Old Norse taug "tie," tygill "string"), from PIE *deuk- "to pull, to lead" (cognates: Old English teon "to draw, pull, drag;" see duke (n.)). Figurative sense is recorded from 1550s. Sense of "cravat, necktie" (usually a simple one knotted in front) first recorded 1761. The railway sense of "cross-beam between and beneath rails to keep them in place" is from 1857, American English. Meaning "equality between competitors" is first found 1670s, from notion of a connecting link. Tie-breaker is recorded from 1938.
- tie (v.)
- Old English tigan, tiegan "to tie, bind, join, connect," from the source of tie (n.). Meaning "to finish equal to a competitor" is from 1888. Related: Tied; tying. To tie the knot in the figurative sense "form a union" is from 1707. Tie one on "get drunk" is recorded from 1944.
Example
- 1. And what 's with the goofy tie ?
- 2. He then bent down to tie the blue and white ribbon round hawking 's neck .
- 3. There 's a strong tie between physical health and happiness .
- 4. If he throws scissors , you tie .
- 5. Industry officials said lawsuits could tie the legislation down .